WhatsApp ‘Last seen’ status: here is how you can hide it

Mumbai: The previous versions of WhatsApp would reveal to all your contacts about the date and time you last accessed WahtsApp. The person on the other end can simply tap on your contact and find out when was the last time you accessed WhatsApp. This could be a security issue for some, but it is a privacy issue for most. You would not want to reveal to everyone when you last saw a message or accessed WhatsApp. The newer version of WhatsApp has a built-in feature which can disable the 'Last seen' information that it sends out to all your contacts via its servers. However, the setting sis not enables by default, and you need to manually turn it off.

Many users did not even know about this feature, even though their WhatsApp app was updated and the feature included in the new version. Most users even did not know that it existed, revealing that crucial piece of information open for all to know. Your friends, family and all other contacts who exist on your phone can know when you last accessed WhatsApp and eventually find out that you are not replying back, or that you are online and available.

We show you how simple it is to disable that information and let you have your privacy back. All you need to do is go to the settings for WhatsApp messenger and disable it according to your preference.

• Start WhatsApp
• Click on the three-dot ‘Menu’ or hit the ‘Menu’ button and click ‘Settings’
• Click on ‘Account’
• Click on ‘Privacy’
• Click on ‘Last seen’ – choose whom you want to reveal your 'Last seen' status between ‘Everyone’, ‘My contacts’ and ‘Nobody’.
• Next click on ‘Profile Photo’ – do the same as above.
• Next click on ‘Status’ – do the same as above.

Once you have followed the settings from above, you can have the choice to show your status, 'Last seen' information and profile photo to your contacts, everyone or nobody. You can always change these settings as and when you like.

Though this feature is a boon to safeguard your privacy, keeping it on could also be beneficial in certain cases. For example, if you are missing, for some reason, or are living away from your city, your family could check the 'Last seen' status to know if you have been online lately and are safe. However, you cannot keep this feature enabled for particular people in your contact list. You have to either enable it for all your contacts or to nobody. Hopefully, the developers at WhatsApp consider this small piece of vital information an important factor and incorporate an additional feature to enable it for listed contacts of our choice. It would be similar to blocked contacts, where on can block out individual contacts from getting through.